Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-03-05

fear m when / do interfere. oh no. know you
4 too WEI"
| He altered the shop, chartered easily with
Notwithstanding Jim until his horse was ready,
| then l0unLing rode down the mountain side,
| humnylg the thread bare air OF sweet ViOletS. "
| Darnuly Cheek grasped her crying baby with a
fierce nervousness OF manner, and set soothing it
mechnically. Through her mind forbidden
thoughts and impulses, long dormant, were rising
1 tunutuously over the contented apathy OF feeling
that tnce her marriage, had specifically reigned
within heart by NATURE, IerDld, Jealous. impus-
| tive fifth wherein the purity OF womanhoOd so
often inds refuge against passion and desire. Hell
| only audible exclamation was:
| "Gd help Inc. cannot help myself"
Forthe next few days the course OF events ran
| smoothly on the surface. Dick Buiford with
| loquacious urbanity, soon made himself general
| favonte At the still house knot Of admirers
usually gathered round him at leisure hours. while
Conversational coin to be Tipped from tongue to
toncrIe accompanied by a slow horse play OF
buc0.ic Wit and laughter.
Sic Teeters the proprietor Of the Still House.
"lOwed that Dick BuffOrd had more sense I'm the
holler side OF his noodle than all the balance of
pintedly got sense enun ter let whisky alone.
Just dram now and then nothin' more and
bar1s OF hit settn' round. Oh, he's q master
manr
The fact that man could be gauger and not q
drunkard presented to MI. Teeters' Imagination
the juxtapoIt1On OF qualities humanity recogni-
Fable only on the score OF superiatiye abilities.
Jim Cheek was so carried away by Dicks tran
scendant cleverness, that when the latter in a
the brief time his Official duties rendered his stay
imperative, our honest blacksmith assented at
once.
.Dont bring him here said Darthuly to her
husband that night, when he announced that Buff
ford would bring his traps up ''ter morrer."
Jim gazed at his wife In mild eyed astonish-
ment, and noticed that she looked pale and
worried.
"Thar now Darthuly We do look pestered but
q A0npvsC
these yer hard times, and I'll help we when can
get outen the shop"
placing her hands on his shoulders, and looking
earnestly at him. He totally failed to compre-
bend the nature OF her disapprOval, and said
mildly:
"Hit's already agreed on. can't very well back
down now. But don't see why We should be so
peStered about it Dartnuly?-
She withdrew her hands, and her great dark
eyes blazed POPULARITY, as She replied:
''Ef that thar feller comes here Jim Cheek, and
anything wrong comes OF it,-member, I've
She withdrew abruptly to the kitchen, leaving
jim TO look after her regretfuly, as he scratched
his head and acknowledged to himself that,
"women were powerful curious. A man cant list
never tell which side OF the fence their gOin' ter
lean agin."
Bufford soon made himself quite as much at
home there as he had elsewhere. Darthuly avoided
him, seldom speaking to him, except when neces-
Sary; state OF things which he ignored by treat
ing her with systematic Difference and politeneSs.
This became grateful to her. in its very contrast to
the Doorish absence OF courtesy prevalent among
the mounta1neerS. Even jim, with the ktndeSt OF
hearts, had few OF the minor urbanitieS OF manner
That so smooth social intercourse under unfavOr-
able circumstances. He was loving and true, yet
he never handed her chair or offered to get
water, or deferred gracefully to her varied within
as Bafford constantly did, regardless Of her cold
why. Darthuly," said Jim one day, when they
two were alone, 81 REILLY can't see what We mean
by snu0bin' the gauger so, like your allays a
Her only reply was to raise to his her wonderful
eyes their clear depths troubled by sadness now
appeared on her cheek and she Withdrew her gaze,
but said nothing. Indeed she moved, as she her.
self felt like one in dream. dreading TO awake,
Dick petted the spoiled baby, allowing IL to pull
his hair and slobber over him with Jovial placid
1ty, that caused Mrs. Cheek to eye him furtively
when she was not observed. He said no more to
her OF their mysterious past and she felt grateful
Tor his forbearance. Yet, one morning, while Jim
was cilnklng away at the shop, as he sat playing
with the child, he looked up suddenly, and de-
tected her watching him 1ntently.
"Ah, Meg, Meg, he said, In new and tender
tone, TO think OF you with baby like this, gets
away with me"
Not that name,-here!" cried she, covering, as
though his words had been blows II cannot en-
d. e IL. Let IL be dead,-fOrever"
In her earnestness she dropped her mountain d.
aeGs even while mindful OF the danger attached
quickly, he took her hand, saying:
DO you wish me To be as one dead, too, Meg
Vi.
gaze seemed to scOrch her averted eyes, like the
heat of an unseen flame. All Jim, why are you
not here to pluck the image Of outraged wife and
She struggled to release her hand, more family,
however. as his grasp strengthened Then, as he
reSi5tleSSly drew her towards him, their eyes met
and with a shuddering sign, she fell on her knees
with her head upon his shoulder.
He realized his power and mercilessly used it;
but at the first touch OF his hot lips upon her own
she sprang from him, plucked her baby from his
lap, rushed into the house, shut the door and
locked ft.
he sat for awhile gazing at the opposite cliff,
frowning in silent disapproval, -unconscious OF
their meaning and Indifferent TO their eternal calm
don ne ae soe SR Hs the SHOP and
self.
''rn await my love.
III await my love-" etc.
PART I'LL
week passed. In a day or two more BufYord
was to leave. The great Hotel at White Cliff had
opened for the season.
Jim Cheek started for there one sunny day with
load OF eggs. butter and '.gyarden truck"
Darthuly complained OF headache and would
not go. An anxious troubled look haunted her
face. Outwardly she seemed to avoid Dick more
tnan ever, and would follow Jims motions with
her eyes In silence being so utterly unlike herself
that the blacksmith again wondered helpleSSly
over the mysteries of feminine development.
'SheNS alfays been a gabbin and takin on so
much, that can't see wher hits all gone TO-" he
limited conhdenually TO BufTord who Ventured the
vague opinion that, ''she would come round after
Jim loaded up and and set out. His steers were
nail way down the road to the ferry, when OAR
thuiy came running after him with the baby in
her arms She caught hfs hand and exclaimed:
Take us along Jim. can't bear ter see you
leaV1n this m0rnin, somehow"
"Why hOw's thish yer, Darthuly? Jest bit ago
you didn't keer ter go. Bein' es you've got that
peshy headache, i reckon you'd better stay.
Teeter'S gal Is a gOin' ter stay ternight and Mr.
Bunord III be thar ter keep the Burgers or and
shall Sartlnly git back termOrrer Why honey
why-durn me eff can understand women emmy
how"
She was sObbing upon his arm but would give
no reason for this strange behavior, ana Jim
after some hurried cOgiLatiOn, concluded thai
she was "a giUtin' a little teched In the headn-a
vague complaint, embracing pretty much every
phase OF emotional disturbance peculiar to fe-
males. w Az
''Thar now, Darthuly. You git right back ter
the house and lay down awhile. Git Jane Teeters
ter help We cook, and let that thar washin alone
outweuI gifts back"
Thus soothing and petting her, yet puzzled In
mind, though utterly unsuspiciOus OF the real
cause OF her agitation, he finally got away, leav-
Ing her standing on projecting rock gazing
Win tear blinded eyes after him.
BE back to-day?" queried BufTord from the
still house door, as he passed.
"Reckon not. The steers CANT hardly make hit
In a day."
He crossed the riyer on the nat and as hts wagon
disappeared around bold bend OF the cliff he
following behind looked back. His wife still Stood
upon the rock, her baby playing at her feet, and
ner bright calico dress nutter1ng In the breeze
blowing down sweet and cool from the mountains
The memory OF that fair vision was all that re-
manned TO him OF her-except the child-fOr eight
long years.
He returned on the following day to ruined
and deserted home. Dick BufYOrd and Darthuly
had disappeared. There was mOCherleSS babe